US/Canada Joint Bank Account?

[Woollyhats]

Hello,

Edit for clarity/summary: I want account opened in Canada, with partner from US. How to do?

I am hoping to open a joint bank account with my US partner when he is here in June. I am Canadian. I've never done this before and I'm not sure which banks are able to accommodate this.

I called several banks, including Scotiabank, but the call center representatives seemed unsure, and simply offered to book me an appointment.

Has anyone done this before? Pairing finances seem to be one of the requirements for sponsoring him... and it's just something that I'd like to do anyway at this stage in our relationship.

Does anyone have any advice//has done this before? I'm not sure what to expect... he'll have to be here in person, and I don't want to miss our chance to open one.

Thanks to anyone who replies.

 

[Icaerus]

My fiance added me to his TD account in the USA, when he comes up I'm adding him to my bank account which is also TD. It's very convenient for sharing funds.

 

[may_dec]

I am hoping to open a joint bank account with my US partner when he is here in June. I am Canadian. I've never done this before and I'm not sure which banks are able to accommodate this.

I can tell you how it worked for us at ScotiaBank. Your partner will need to be present in person, with two pieces of ID and will first need to set up a profile - you'll need an appointment with a personal banking officer for this part. Once that's done, a teller can add your partner as a joint holder.

It's best if you do this at your domicile branch, as there's some step in the process that they have to do. We did it at our neighbourhood branch, and it took a lot longer than it ought to have done, because of this. I'd advise moving your domicile branch, before your partner arrives, if it is not convenient to go there.

Since your partner is a US citizen, they'll also have to complete an IRS form - basically Canadian banks are now required to report transactions of US citizens at Canadian banks - so they'll need a SSN and US address for that form. The branch might not know about this part and the form may come in the mail.

You'll also want to ask for an ATM card, of course, as you'll need that to set up the online banking.

 

[CanadianZenGirl]

I can tell you how it worked for us at ScotiaBank. Your partner will need to be present in person, with two pieces of ID and will first need to set up a profile - you'll need an appointment with a personal banking officer for this part. Once that's done, a teller can add your partner as a joint holder.

It's best if you do this at your domicile branch, as there's some step in the process that they have to do. We did it at our neighbourhood branch, and it took a lot longer than it ought to have done, because of this. I'd advise moving your domicile branch, before your partner arrives, if it is not convenient to go there.

Since your partner is a US citizen, they'll also have to complete an IRS form - basically Canadian banks are now required to report transactions of US citizens at Canadian banks - so they'll need a SSN and US address for that form. The branch might not know about this part and the form may come in the mail.

You'll also want to ask for an ATM card, of course, as you'll need that to set up the online banking.

Your ScotiaBank was a lot more accommodating than mine. They told me flat out no I couldn't add my American husband to my account until he was a resident of Canada. Luckily, despite not having joint anything in the way of a bank account or household bills, it didn't matter in the end. I guess we'd been together long enough as financially independent people that it wasn't an issue.